Making Some Changes Around Here...DONE!

[sunket77]

good luck!

I guess you must be pretty good at integrating! I am sort going through the same thing (only not to your scale!) I had a trio of silkies I moved to a larger run and discover that the roo had a major attitude problem! So I found him and one pullet a new home. Now I am trying to integrate my only silkie hen left into the main flock, I am really hoping it works! I have her in a cage inside the coop now and I let her out this morning and this afternoon. A few of the hens chased her but didn't do anything other than that. I supervised for a while and she seemed to be fine and keep to herself. So the big day will be Tuesday to let her out at night in the coop so I can be there to supervise. Any suggestions??

 

[speckledhen]

The main flock has been around the Delaware pen, so they are not completely unfamiliar with each other. Not much else to do except turn them all out together (after I remove all the ones who will be with Dutch first). We'll see the feathers fly, I'm sure. You really can't do more than hold back and let them work out the new pecking order. It looks rough, but most of the time, they all sort it out without much bloodshed.

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
Well you know where those favs are coming from

 

[speckledhen]

 

[speckledhen]

It's done! There was a minimum of tussles. Mostly, the Delaware girls avoided the others, didnt even try to start anything. Isaac chased a few blonde girls, got Nugget, but mostly, he hung out with his own women. Tonight, the roost situation is interesting. They wandered around looking lost till DH put Ike and the girls up on the roost. Really, there wasn't much drama at all. My Lt. Brahma, Miranda, jumped at one of the Del girls and Ike ran over and got in her face and that was the end of that.

Dutch is in the former Del coop with the five BR hens, 4 Ameraucanas, Shadow the banty Cochin, and three or four molting, miserably quilly girls who have lost weight during their horrible molts and need to be fattened up. When those look stronger and better, they'll go back to the main coop with Isaac. Didn't want him chasing more weight off of them and this way, I can feed them special meals to perk them up.

 

[speckledhen]

This morning, Isaac was in the most favored nestbox in the main coop, showing his ladies where to lay their first eggs in the new surroundings. He's such a good boy!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Well done Cynthia. Flock-Mistress-Extraordinaire!

 

[joletabey]

Don't worry about Isaac having a larger harem, Cyn, he will probably LOVE it, and you will have to feed him extra to keep the weight on him after all that "loving of his ladies".

 

[LynneP]

I think you're wise to do all this, and that it will pay off- thank goodness you have the expertise to understand flock dynamics, something I have yet to gain!

 

[Countrywife]

It sounds wonderful and that it all worked out well.